mickey rourke

Yay!!!! It’s time for Iron Man 2. Can they repeat their success with even more moving parts? Let’s see!

The Basics: After outing himself as Iron Man, Tony Stark now has to deal with the added pressure & publicity, the US Government, and a new development with the arc reactor in his chest, and naturally a new round of villains.

What I Liked: The original cast return with extras and are still having a blast. Of course, Downey Jr is a hoot whenever he’s onscreen and excels at playing the arrogant ass that is also vulnerable and likeable. And while I liked Paltrow in the 1st movie I thought she was the weakest part of the original. But here she is hysterical, even stealing a couple of moments from Downey, not an easy feat. Cheadle does just fine as the replacement Rhodey and has great chemistry with his co-stars. Our villains are on fine form too; Sam Rockwell as the cheesy Justin Hammer & Mickey Rourke as the brooding Whiplash. And even Jon Favreau gets a piece of the action. The first & third acts move along nicely and the movie never takes itself too seriously.

What I Didn’t Like: The second act, which was the best part of the original, is actually a little slow in places, even when RDJ is onscreen (which seems impossible). Scarlett Johanson is stiff and cold and that works for her character sometimes but also feels one dimensional. There was also one scene in particular that I couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be serious but came off as funny.

Bottom Line: There’s action, comedy, drama, and a bit of romance; the perfect blend for a summer flick. (Did I mention how cute RDJ looks?)

New & Old News: Struggling to get on its feet is an on again/off again Robin Hood production called Nottingham that has the potential to be awesome if it can get its act together. It currently has Ridley Scott attached to direct and his old pal Russell Crowe to star. There was a rumor circulating for a while that Crowe would actually play both Robin Hood and the Sherriff of Nottingham but the movie is apparently moving in a more traditional direction now with Crowe only playing the hero. Read more

Old & New News: There is no shortage of rumors surrounding the casting of Iron Man 2. We’ve already discussed the replacement of Terrence Howard with Don Cheadle here. Added to the mix is Tim Robbins as Stark’s dad, obviously in flashbacks. That could work. I like that they keep casting “serious” actors in a superhero movie.